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Sweeney Family History

Sweeney Name Meaning

Irish and Scottish: shortened form of McSweeney from Gaelic Mac Suibhne ‘son of Suibhne’ a personal name meaning ‘pleasant’. Loss of initial Mac in this surname seems to have been encouraged by the Irish variant Ó Suibhne. For the Scottish form Mac Shuibhne with loss of the final syllable and lenition of the personal name after Mac compare McSween and McQueen . Americanized form of French Choiniere . Americanized form of French Chouinard . Compare Swenor .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Mcsweeney, Feeney, Mcweeney, Deeney, Swinney, Queeney, Steeley

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Where is the Sweeney family from?

You can see how Sweeney families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sweeney family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sweeney families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 261 Sweeney families living in Ontario. This was about 40% of all the recorded Sweeney's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Sweeney families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sweeney surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Sweeney ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Sweeney. 28% of Sweeney men worked as a Farmer and 14% of Sweeney women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sweeney were Clerk and Saleslady. .

View Census Data for Sweeney | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    28%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    8%
  • Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    14%
  • Operator
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    12%
  • Saleslady
    8%
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What Sweeney family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 339,000 census records available for the last name Sweeney. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sweeney census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Sweeney

Passenger Lists

There are 69,000 immigration records available for the last name Sweeney. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Sweeney immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 69,000 military records available for the last name Sweeney. For the veterans among your Sweeney ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Sweeney lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Sweeney life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Sweeney in 1940 was 38, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sweeney

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